Alcohols

ABSTRACT

Novel alcohols of the formula ##STR1## wherein R a  is azido or phthalimido, R 4  is alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, aryl or aralkyl, R 7  and R 8  together are a trimethylene or tetramethylene group which is optionally substituted by hydroxy, alkoxycarbonylamino or acylamino or in which one --CH 2  -- group is replaced by --NH--, --N(alkoxycarbonyl)--, --N(acyl)-- or --S-- or which carries a fused cycloalkane, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring, and R 9  is alkoxycarbonyl, monoalkylcarbamoyl, monoaralkylcarbamoyl, monoarylcarbamoyl or a group of the formula ##STR2## in which R 10  and R 11  each is alkyl, are described along with a process for their manufacture. These alcohols are useful as intermediates, for example in the manufacture of amino acid derivatives having antiviral activity.

This is a division, of application Ser. No. 08/439,604 filed May 12,1995 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,913, which is a division of applicationSer. No. 08/128,978 filed Sep. 29, 1993 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,678,which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/615,204, filed Nov.19, 1990, now abandoned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to novel alcohols. More particularly, theinvention is concerned with novel alcohols, a process for themanufacture thereof and novel intermediates in said process.

The novel alcohols provided by the present invention have the generalformula ##STR3## wherein R^(a) represents azido or phthalimido, R⁴represents alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, aryl or aralkyl, R⁷ andR⁸ together represent a trimethylene or tetramethylene group which isoptionally substituted by hydroxy, alkoxycarbonylamino or acylamino orin which one --CH₂ -- group is replaced by --NH--,--N(alkoxycarbonyl)--, --N(acyl)-- or --S-- or which carries a fusedcycloalkane, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring, and R⁹ representsalkoxycarbonyl, monoalkylcarbamoyl, monoaralkylcarbamoyl,monoarylcarbamoyl or a group of the formula ##STR4## in which R¹⁰ andR¹¹ each represent alkyl.

The alcohols of formula I are valuable intermediates in chemicalsyntheses. For example, they can be converted in the manner described inmore detail hereinafter into amino acid derivatives of the formula##STR5## wherein R¹ represents alkoxycarbonyl, aralkoxycarbonyl,alkanoyl, cycloalkylcarbonyl, aralkanoyl, aroyl, heterocyclylcarbonyl,alkylsulphonyl, arylsulphonyl, monoaralkylcarbamoyl, cinnamoyl orα-aralkoxycarbonylaminoalkanoyl and R² represents hydrogen, or R¹ and R²together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached represent acyclic imide group of the formula ##STR6## in which P and Q togetherrepresent an aromatic system, R³ represents alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryloaralkyl, heterocyclylalkyl, cyanoalkyl, alkylthioalkyl,alkylsulphinylalkyl, carbamoylalkyl or alkoxy-carbonylalkyl and R⁴, R⁷,R⁸ and R⁹ have the significance given earlier.

These amino acid derivatives possess valuable pharmacologicalproperties. In particular, they inhibit proteases of viral origin andcan be used in the prophylaxis or treatment of vital infections,particularly of infections caused by HIV and other retroid viruses (seeBritish Patent Application No. 8908035 and corresponding U.S. Ser. No.07/362,621) now U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,041.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used in this Specification, the term "alkyl", alone or incombination, means a straight-chain or branched-chain alkyl groupcontaining a maximum of 8, preferably a maximum of 4, carbon atoms suchas methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec.butyl,tert.butyl, pentyl, hexyl and the like.

The term "alkoxy", alone or in combination, means an alkyl ether group,the term "alkyl" being defined as above, examples of such alkyl ethergroup being methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, isopropoxy, n-butoxy, isobutoxy,sec.butoxy, tert.butoxy and the like.

The term "cycloalkylalkyl" means an alkyl group (where alkyl is definedas above) which is substituted by a cycloalkyl group containing 3-8,preferably 3-6, carbon atoms such as cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl,cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl and the like.

The term "aryl", alone or in combination, means a phenyl or naphthylgroup which optionally carries one or more substituents selected fromalkyl, alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, amino and the like, such as phenyl,p-tolyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 4-tert.butoxyphenyl, 4-fluorophenyl,4-chlorophenyl, 4-hydroxyphenyl, 1-naphthyl, 2-naphthyl etc. The term"aralkyl", alone or in combination, means an alkyl group as definedearlier in which one hydrogen atom is replaced by an aryl group asdefined earlier, such as benzyl, 2-phenylethyl and the like.

The term "aralkoxycarbonyl", alone or in combination, means a group ofthe formula --C(O)--O-aralkyl, in which the term "aralkyl" has thedefinition given above, such as benzyloxycarbonyl, etc.

The term "alkanoyl", alone or in combination, means an acyl groupderived from an alkanecarboxylic acid such as acetyl, propionyl,butyryl, valeryl, 4-methylvaleryl etc.

The term "cycloalkylcarbonyl" means an acyl group derived from amonocyclic or bridged cycloalkanecarboxylic acid such ascyclopropanecarbonyl, cyclohexanecarbonyl, adamantanecarbonyl, etc., orfrom a benz-fused monocyclic cycloalkanecarboxylic acid which isoptionally substituted by, for example, alkanoylamino, such as1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-2-naphthoyl,2-acetamido-,1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-naphthoyl.

The term "aralkanoyl" means an acyl group derived from anaryl-substituted alkanecarboxylic acid such as phenylacetyl,3-phenylpropionyl (hydrocinnamoyl), 4-phenylbutyryl, (2-naphthyl)acetyl,4-chlorohydro-cinnamoyl, 4-aminohydrocinnamoyl, 4-methoxyhydrocinnamoyl,etc.

The term "aroyl" means an acyl group derived from an aromatic carboxylicacid: for example an optionally substituted benzoic or naphthoic acidsuch as benzoyl, 4-chlorobenzoyl, 4-carboxybenzoyl, 4-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-benzoyl, 1-naphthoyl, 2-naphthoyl,6-carboxy-2-naphthoyl, 6-(benzyloxycarbonyl )-2-naphthoyl,3-benzyloxy-2-naphthoyl, 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoyl, 3-(benzyloxyformamido)-2-naphthoyl, etc.

The heterocyclyl portion of a heterocyclylcarbonyl or heterocyclylalkylgroup is a saturated, partially unsaturated or aromatic monocyclic,bicyclic or tricyclic heterocycle which contains one or more heteroatoms selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur, which is optionallysubstituted on one or more carbon atoms by halogen, alkyl, alkoxy, oxoetc and/or on a secondary nitrogen atom (i.e. =NH--) by alkyl,aralkoxycarbonyl, alkanoyl, phenyl or phenylalkyl or on a tertiarynitrogen atom (i.e. =N--) by oxido and which is attached via a carbonatom. Examples of such heterocyclyl groups are pyrrolidinyl,piperidinyl, piperazinyl, morpholinyl, thiamorpholinyl, pyrrolyl,imidazolyl (e.g. imidazol-4-ol, 1-benzyloxycarbonylimidazol-4-yl, etc),pyrazolyl, pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyrimidinyl, furyl, thienyl, triazolyl,oxazolyl, thiazolyl, indolyl (e.g. 2-indolyl etc), quinolyl (e.g.2-quinolyl, 3-quinolyl, 1-oxido-2-quinolyl etc), isoquinolyl (e.g.1-isoquinolyl, 3-isoquinolyl etc), tetrahydroquinolyl (e.g.1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-quinolyl etc), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolyl (e.g.1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-oxo-isoquinolyl etc), quinoxalinyl, β-carbolinyland the like.

The term "halogen" means fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine.

A cinnamoyl group denoted by R¹ can be unsubstituted or can carry on thephenyl ring one or more substituents selected from alkyl, alkoxy,halogen, nitro and the like.

The aromatic system denoted by P and Q together in formula (a) givenearlier can be monocyclic (e.g. 1,2-phenylene or thienylene) orpolycyclic (e.g. 1,2-naphthylene, 2,3-naphthylene, 1,8-naphthylene,2,3-anthrylene, etc.) and can be unsubstituted or substituted by one ormore substituents selected from alkyl, alkoxy, halogen and the like.

As mentioned earlier, a trimethylene or tetramethylene group denoted byR⁷ and R⁸ together can be optionally substituted by a hydroxy group oran alkoxycarbonylamino group (e.g. tert.butoxycarbonylamino) or anacylamino group (i.e. an alkanoylamino, cycloalkylcarbonylamino,aralkanoylamino or aroylamino group). Alternatively, one --CH₂ -- groupof a trimethylene or tetramethylene group denoted by R⁷ and R⁸ togethercan be replaced by --NH--, --N(alkoxycarbonyl)--, for example--N(tert.butoxycarbonyl)--, --N(acyl)-- or --S--. When a trimethylene ortetramethylene group denoted by R⁷ and R⁸ together carries a fusedcycloalkane ring, this can be, for example, a fused cycloalkane ringcontaining 3-6 carbon atoms such as a fused cyclopentane, cyclohexane orlike ring and when the trimethylene or tetramethylene group carries afused aromatic or heteroaromatic ring, this can be, for example, a fusedbenzene, indole or thiophene ring which can be optionally substituted onone or more carbon atoms by halogen, alkyl, alkoxy etc. Thus,--N(R7)--CH(R⁸)(R⁹) can represent, for example, one of the followinggroups: ##STR7## wherein R⁹ has the meaning given above, R¹² representshydrogen, hydroxy, alkoxycarbonylamino or acylamino, R¹³ representshydrogen, alkoxycarbonyl or acyl, m stands for 1 or 2 and p stands for 1or 2.

The alcohols of formula I contain at least two asymmetric carbon atomsand can therefore exist in the form of optically pure diastereoisomers,mixtures of diastereoisomers, diastereoisomeric racemates or mixtures ofdiastereoisomeric racemates. The present invention includes within itsscope all of these forms.

In formula I above, R^(a) preferably represents phthalimido. R⁴preferably represents aralkyl, especially benzyl. Preferably,--N(R⁷)--CH(R⁸)(R⁹) represents a group of formula (g) above in which R⁹represents monoalkylcarbamoyl, preferably tert.butylcarbamoyl.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that especially preferredalcohols of formula I are those in which R^(a) represents phthalimido,R⁴ represents benzyl and --N(R⁷)--CH(R⁸)(R⁹) represents a group offormula (g) in which R⁹ represents tert.butylcarbamoyl.

N-tert.Butyl-decahydro-2-[2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenyl-3(S)-phthalimidobutyl]-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide is aparticularly preferred alcohol of formula I above.

2-[3(S)-Azido-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide is a further exampleof a preferred compound of formula I above.

The alcohols of formula I above can be manufactured in accordance withthis invention by the following procedure:

(a) reacting an epoxide of the general formula ##STR8## wherein R^(a)and R⁴ have the meaning given above, with a compound of the generalformula ##STR9## wherein R⁷, R⁸ and R⁹ have the meaning given above, or(b) for the manufacture of an alcohol of formula I in which R^(a)represents azido, reacting a compound of the general formula ##STR10##wherein R^(a') represents azido and R⁴ has the meaning given above, witha compound of formula IV above.

The reaction of an epoxide of formula III with a compound of formula IVin accordance with embodiment (a) of the process is conveniently carriedout in an inert organic solvent, such as an alkanol (e.g. methanol etc),dimethylformamide or the like and at an elevated temperature, preferablyfrom about 60° C. to about 120° C.

The reaction of a compound of formula V with a compound of formula IV inaccordance with embodiment (b) of the process is conveniently carriedout in an inert organic solvent such as an ether (e.g. tetrahydrofuranetc) and at about room temperature.

The epoxides of formula III, which are used as starting materials inembodiment (a) of the process, are novel and also form an object of thepresent invention.

The epoxides of formula III in which R^(a) represents azido can beprepared, for example, by converting a compound of the general formula##STR11## wherein R^(a') and R⁴ have the meaning given earlier, in amanner known per se into a compound of the general formula ##STR12##wherein R^(a') and R⁴ have the meaning given earlier and X represents aleaving atom or group such as a halogen atom (e.g. a chlorine or bromineatom), an alkanesulphonyloxy group (e.g. methanesulphonyloxy etc) or anaromatic sulphonyloxy group (e.g. benzenesulphonyloxy,p-toluenesulphonyloxy, 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzenesulphonyloxy etc), andcyclizing the resulting compound of formula VII, likewise in a mannerknown in the art, for example by treatment with an alkali metalhydroxide in an alkanol such as potassium hydroxide in ethanol, to givea desired epoxide of formula III.

The compounds of formula VII are novel and also form an object of thepresent invention. The compounds of formula VI are known compounds oranalogues of known compounds which can be prepared by those skilled inthe art in a manner similar to the preparation of the known compounds.In addition, the Examples which follow contain a detailed description ofan alternative method for the preparation of a certain compound offormula VI.

The epoxides of formula III in which R^(a) represents phthalimido can beprepared, for example, as illustrated in Reaction Scheme I below inwhich R^(a") represents phthalimido, R⁴ has the meaning given above, Yrepresents alkylsulphonyl and Z' represents a hydroxy protecting groupremovable by hydrolysis (e.g. tetrahydropyranyl): ##STR13##

In the first step of Reaction Scheme I, a compound of formula VIII isreacted with a tris(trialkylsilyloxy)-ethylene such astris(trimethylsilyloxy)ethylene, preferably at an elevated temperaturesuch as from about 90° C. to about 100° C., to give a compound offormula IX. This compound is then protected at the hydroxy group in amanner known to those skilled in the art, for example by reaction withdihydropyran, and the resulting compound of formula X is reduced at thecarbonyl group also in a manner known in the art, such as by means of acomplex metal hydride (e.g. sodium borohydride etc). The resultingcompound of formula XI is then converted into a compound of formula XIIby treatment with an alkanesulphonyl halide (e.g. methanesulphonylchloride) according to conventional procedures and the compound offormula XII obtained is hydrolyzed in a manner known in the art (e.g.using p-toluenesulphonic acid) to give a compound of formula XIII. Acompound of formula XIII is finally converted into an epoxide of formulaIIIb by treatment with a base such as an alkali metal hydride (e.g.sodium hydride) or an alkali metal lower alkoxide (e.g. potassiumtert.butoxide) in an inert organic solvent such as dimethylformamideetc.

In Reaction Scheme I, compounds IX through XIII may conveniently berepresented by the general formula ##STR14## wherein R^(a") isphthalimido, R⁴ is alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, aryl or aralkyl,R⁵ is hydrogen, R⁶ is hydroxy or alkylsulphonyloxy or R⁵ and R⁶ togetherare an oxo group, and Z is hydroxy or a hydroxy protecting groupremovable by hydrolysis, provided that when R⁶ is hydroxy, Z is ahydroxy protecting group removable by hydrolysis.

The compounds of formula VIII above are known compounds or analogues ofknown compounds which can be prepared in a similar manner to thepreparation of the known compounds, whereas the compounds of formulae IXto XIII are novel and also form objects of the present invention.

The compounds of formula IV, which are used as starting materials inembodiments (a) and (b) of the process described above, are knowncompounds or can be prepared readily from known compounds in a mannerknown to those skilled in the art, for example, by converting thecarboxyl group in a corresponding carboxylic acid into the group R⁹.

The compounds of formula V. which are used as starting materials inembodiment (b) of the process, are novel and also form an object of thepresent invention. They can be prepared, for example, by reacting acompound of formula VI above with thionyl chloride, preferably in aninert organic solvent such as a halogenated hydrocarbon (e.g. carbontetrachloride etc) and at an elevated temperature, preferably at thereflux temperature of the reaction mixture, and oxidizing the reactionproduct in a known manner. Conveniently, the oxidation is carried outusing ruthenium(III) chloride in the presence of an alkali metalperiodate (e.g. sodium metaperiodate) at about room temperature. Thereaction product is expediently oxidized in situ.

As mentioned earlier, the alcohols of formula I can be converted intoamino acid derivatives of formula II which have valuable pharmacologicalproperties. This conversion can be carried out, for example, bytransforming the phthalimido or azido group R^(a) in the alcohol into anamino group and reacting the resulting compound of the general formula##STR15## wherein R⁴, R⁷, R⁸ and R⁹ have the meaning given above,

with an acid of the general formula ##STR16## wherein R¹, R² and R³ havethe meaning given above. or a reactive derivative thereof.

The transformation of the phthalimido or azido group R^(a) in an alcoholof formula I into an amino group can be carried out according to methodsknown to those skilled in the art. For example, the phthalimido groupcan be transformed into the amino group by treatment with hydrazine or aprimary amine (e.g. an alkylamine such as methylamine) and the azidogroup can be transformed into the amino group by catalytichydrogenation.

The reaction of a compound of formula XIV with an acid of formula XV ora reactive derivative thereof can be carried out in accordance withmethods well-known to those skilled in peptide chemistry. When an acidof formula XV is used, the reaction is preferably carried out in thepresence of a condensation agent such as hydroxybenzotriazole anddicyclohexylcarbodiimide. This reaction is conveniently carried out inan inert organic solvent such as an ether (e.g. diethyl ether,tetrahydrofuran, etc.) or dimethylformamide at a low temperature,suitably from about -10° C. to about +5° C., preferably at about 0° C.Suitable reactive derivatives of acids of formula XV which can be usedare, for example, the corresponding acid halides (e.g. acid chlorides),acid anhydrides, mixed anhydrides, activated esters, etc. When areactive derivative is used, the reaction is conveniently carried out inan inert organic solvent such as a halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon(e.g. dichloromethane, etc.) or an ether (e.g. diethyl ether,tetrahydrofuran, etc.) and, where appropriate, in the presence of anorganic base (e.g. N-ethylmorpholine, diisopropylethylamine, etc.) at alow temperature, suitably from about -10° C. to about +5° C., andpreferably at about 0° C.

The acids of formula XV above and their reactive derivatives, to theextent they are not known compounds or analogues of known compounds, canbe prepared in a similar manner to the known compounds.

EXAMPLES

The following Examples illustrate the manufacture of the alcohols offormula I.

Example 1

A stirred solution of 4.39 g (15 mmol) of2(S)-[2-phenyl-1(S)-phthalimidoethyl]oxirane and 3.57 g (15 mmol) ofN-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide in 30 mlof dimethylformamide was heated at 120° C. for 10 hours and then left tostand at room temperature for 18 hours. The mixture was evaporated todryness under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in 50 ml ofethyl acetate, washed with 30 ml of water, dried over anhydrous sodiumsulphate, filtered and evaporated. The crude product was crystallizedfrom ethyl acetate/n-hexane and there were obtained 4.77 g ofN-tert.butyl-decahydro-2-[2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenyl-3(S)-phthalimidobutyl]-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide in the formof a cream coloured solid; MS: m/e 532 [M+H]⁺.

The 2(S)-[2-phenyl-l(S)-phthalimidoethyl]oxirane used as the startingmaterial was prepared as follows:

(i) A mixture of 134 g of 3-phenyl-2(S)-phthalimidopropionyl chlorideand 269.7 g of tris(trimethylsilyloxy)ethylene was stirred at 95° C. for5 hours. A further 54 g of tris(trimethylsilyloxy)ethylene were addedand the mixture was stirred at 95° C. for a further 1.5 hours. Thecooled reaction mixture was then treated with 435 ml of dioxan and 174ml of 0.6N hydrochloric acid and the resulting mixture was heated to 85°C. for 30 minutes. The cooled mixture was saturated with sodium chlorideand then extracted with diethyl ether. The ethereal solution was washedwith aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution and evaporated. The resultingpale yellow solid was crystallized from ethyl acetate/n-hexane to give103 g of N-[1(S)-benzyl-3-hydroxy-2-oxopropyl]phthalimide as a whitesolid, MS: m/e 310 [M+H]⁺.

(ii) 100 ml of 4N hydrochloric acid in ethyl acetate were added dropwiseto a stirred suspension of 120.4 g ofN-[1(S)-benzyl-3-hydroxy-2-oxopropyl]phthalimide in 355 ml ofdihydropyran. After 20 minutes the mixture was diluted with 500 ml ofethyl acetate, washed with sodium bicarbonate solution and sodiumchloride solution and evaporated. The resulting brown oil was dissolvedin 3.9 1 of 10% aqueous tetrahydrofuran and the solution was stirred at-10° C. to -7° C. while 7.36 g of sodium borohydride were added. Afterstirring at -7° C. for 20 minutes the mixture was warmed to 0° C., afurther 7.36 g of sodium borohydride were added and the stirring wascontinued at 0° C. for 5 minutes. The mixture was then diluted with 1 lof water and the pH was adjusted to 6 by adding concentratedhydrochloric acid. The tetrahydrofuran was removed by evaporation andthe residual aqueous solution was extracted with dichloromethane. Theorganic solution was washed with sodium chloride solution andevaporated. The resulting brown oil was dissolved in 1.1 l of pyridineand the solution was stirred at 20° C. while 89 g of methanesulphonylchloride were added. The mixture was stirred for a further 50 minutesand then poured on to 2 kg of crushed ice. The mixture was adjusted topH 2 by adding concentrated sulphuric acid and was then extracted withdichloromethane. The organic solution was washed with sodium chloridesolution and evaporated. The resulting brown oil was dissolved in 1 l ofethanol and treated with 11 g of p-toluenesulphonic acid. The mixturewas stirred at 20° C. for 1 hour and then at 0° C. for 20 minutes. Theresulting precipitate was filtered off and washed with diethyl ether togive 38.57 g ofN-[1(S)-benzyl-3-hydroxy-2(R)-(methylsulphonyloxy)propyl]phthalimide asa white solid, MS: m/e 389 [M]⁺.

(iii) 2.16 g ofN-[1(S)-benzyl-3-hydroxy-2(R)-(methylsulphonyloxy)propyl]phthalimidewere added to a stirred suspension of 200 mg of sodium hydride (80%dispersion in mineral oil) in 50 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran and themixture was stirred at 20° C. for 2 hours. A further 100 mg of sodiumhydride were added and the stirring was continued for 3.5 hours. Themixture was diluted with dichloromethane and water and the pH of theaqueous layer was adjusted to 7 by adding 2M hydrochloric acid. Theorganic layer was separated, washed with saturated sodium chloridesolution and evaporated. The residue was chromatographed on silica gelusing ethyl acetate/n-hexane (1:2) for the elution to give 0.67 g of2(S)-[2-phenyl-1(S)-phthalimidoethyl]oxirane as a white solid, MS: m/e294 [M+H]⁺.

The N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide usedas the starting material was prepared as follows:

(i) A suspension of 12.676 g (71.6 mmol) of1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-3(S)-isoquinolinecarboxylic acid (Chem. Pharm. Bull.1983, 31, 312) in 200 ml of 90% acetic acid was hydrogenated at 80° C.and under 140 atmospheres pressure over 5% rhodium-on-carbon for 24hours. The mixture was left to cool to room temperature and the catalystwas then filtered off. The filtrate was evaporated to give a gum whichwas dissolved in 10 ml of ethyl acetate and added slowly to 100 ml ofvigorously stirred diisopropyl ether.

A resinous precipitate was produced. The supernatant liquors wereremoved by decantation and the precipitate was extracted with hot ethylacetate. This hot solution was poured into a vigorously stirred mixtureof 150 ml of diethyl ether/diisopropyl ether (1:1) to give a pale greysolid which was collected by filtration, washed with diethyl ether anddried. There were obtained 5.209 g of a mixture ofdecahydroisoquinoline-3(S)-carboxylic acids consisting of predominantly(about 65%) the 4aS,8aS isomer together with the 4aR,8aR isomer (about25%) and about 10% of the trans isomers; MS: m/e 184 [M+H]⁺.

(ii) 9.036 g (49.4 mmol) of the foregoing mixture ofdecahydroisoquinoline-3(S)-carboxylic acids were dissolved in 50 ml (50mmol) of 1M sodium hydroxide solution and the resulting solution wascooled to 0° C. 7.40 ml (51.87 mmol) of benzyl chloroformate and 58.7 ml(58.7 mmol) of 1M sodium hydroxide solution were added dropwise over aperiod of 1 hour while maintaining a temperature of 0°-5° C. by cooling.The mixture was then stirred for a further 2 hours, during which timethe mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature. 100 ml of diethylether were added and the mixture was filtered, whereby the insolubleR,R-isomer was removed. The aqueous layer of the filtrate was separatedand adjusted to pH 1.5-2 by the addition of concentrated hydrochloricacid, whereby an oil precipitated. The mixture was extracted twice with100 ml of ethyl acetate each time. The combined organic extracts werewashed with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate and evaporatedto give an oil. This oil was dissolved in 35 ml of ethyl acetate and2.85 ml (25 mmol) of cyclohexylamine were added. The white precipitatewas collected by filtration to give, after several fractionalrecrystallizations from methanol/ethyl acetate, 2.38.g of thecyclohexylamine salt of2-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxylicacid; MS: m/e 318 [M+H]⁺.

(iii) 2.384 g of the cyclohexylamine salt of 2-(benzyloxy-carbonyl)-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxylic acid werepartitioned between 50 ml of ethyl acetate and 50 ml of 10% citric acidsolution. The organic phase was separated, washed with water, filteredand evaporated to give 1.87 g of2-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxylicacid in the form of a colourless gum; MS: m/e 318 [M+H]⁺.

(iv) A solution of 0.634 g (2.0 mmol) of 2-(benzyloxy-carbonyl)-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxylic acid in 6 mlof dimethoxyethane was treated with 0.23 g (2.0 mmol) ofN-hydroxysuccinimide and 0.412 g (2.0 mmol) of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide.The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 18 hours. The mixturewas filtered and the filtrate was evaporated to give 0.879 g of theN-hydroxysuccinimide ester of the foregoing acid in the form of a paleyellow oil. A solution of 0.828 g (2.0 mmol) of the foregoingN-hydroxysuccinimide ester in 5 ml of dichloromethane was stirred,cooled to 0° C. and treated with 0.219 g (3.0 mmol) of tert.butylamine.The mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 2 hours and then at roomtemperature for 4.5 hours. The mixture was then washed with 2Mhydrochloric acid, sodium carbonate solution and sodium chloridesolution, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate and evaporated. Theresidue was dissolved in 20 ml of diethyl ether and filtered. Thefiltrate was evaporated to give 0.712 g of 2-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide in theform of a pale yellow glass; MS: m/e 373 [M+H]⁺.

(v) A solution of 0.689 g (1.85 mmol) of 2-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline -3(S)-carboxamide in 20ml of ethanol was hydrogenated in the presence of 0.01 g of 10%palladium-on-carbon at room temperature and under atmospheric pressurefor 18 hours. The catalyst was removed by filtration and the solvent wasremoved by evaporation to give 1.85 mmol of N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide as a clear oil: MS:m/e 239 [M+H]⁺ which was used in the next step without furtherpurification.

EXAMPLE 2

A mixture of 0.378 g (2 mmol) of 2(S)-[1(S)-azido-2-phenylethyl]oxiraneand 0,476 g (2 mmol) of N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide in 10 ml of ethanolwas stirred and boiled under reflux for 5 hours and then left to standat room temperature for 18 hours. The mixture was evaporated to drynessunder reduced pressure and the pale yellow solid obtained wascrystallized from ethyl acetate/n-hexane (1:1) to give 0.593 g of awhite solid. Recrystallization from the same solvent mixture gave 0.165g of 2-[3(S)-azido-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide; MS: m/e 428 [M+H]³⁰ .

The 2(S)-[1(S)-azido-2-phenylethyl]oxirane used as the starting materialwas prepared as follows:

(i) 4.34 g (0.02 mol) of (2R,3R)-2-benzyloxybutane-1,3,4-triol weresuspended in a mixture of 3.4 g (0.02 mmol) of1-cyclohexenyloxytrimethylsilane and 40 ml of diethyl ether. Two dropsof concentrated hydrochloric acid were added and the mixture was stirredat room temperature for 30 minutes. The mixture was then evaporated togive 5.65 g of B(R)-benzyloxy-l,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane-2(R)-ethanol inthe form of a colourless viscous oil; MS: m/e 292 [M]⁺.

(ii) 15.0 g of pyridinium chlorochromate and 10.0 g of crushed 3Amolecular sieves were added to a solution of 5.50 g (0.019 mol) ofS(R)-benzyloxy-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]-decane-2(R)-ethanol in 200 ml ofdichloromethane. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20hours, then diluted with 200 ml of diethyl ether and filtered. Theliltrate was evaporated to give 4.30 g ofα(S)-benzyloxy-1,4-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane-2(R)-acetaldehyde which wasused in the next step without further purification.

(iii) A solution of 4.30 g (0.015 mmol) ofα(S)-benzyloxy-1,4-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane-2(R)-acetaldehyde in 50 mlof anhydrous diethyl ether was cooled to -8° C. and 15 ml of a 2Msolution of phenylmagnesium chloride in tetrahydrofuran were addeddropwise over a period of 1 hour. The mixture was stirred at -5° C. for2 hours, then allowed to warm to room temperature and poured into 50 mlof 10% ammonium chloride solution. The mixture was extracted twice with100 ml of ethyl acetate each time. The ethyl acetate extracts were driedover anhydrous magnesium sulphate and evaporated. The residue wassubjected to flash chromatography on silica gel using 5% methanol indichloromethane for the elution. There were obtained 2.47 g ofβ(R)-benzyloxy-α(RS)-phenyl-1,4-dioxaspiro 4,5]decane-2(R)-ethanol inthe form of a colourless gum; MS (C.I.): m/e 369 [M+H]⁺.

(iv)(a) A solution of 130 mg (0.35 mmol) of β(R)-benzyloxy-α(RS)-phenyl-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane-2(R)-ethanol in 3 ml of aceticacid was hydrogenated over 10% palladium-on-carbon under a pressure ofabout 4.1 atmospheres for 2 days. The catalyst was removed by filtrationand the filtrate was evaporated. The crude product was purified by flashchromatography on silica gel using 2% methanol in dichloromethane forthe elution. There were obtained 60 mg of α(R)-benzyl-1,4-dioxaspiro-4,5]decane-2(R)-methanol in the form of a colourless oil; MS: m/e 262[M]⁺.

(iv)(b) A solution of 80 mg (0.22 mmol) of B(R)-benzyloxy-α(RS)-phenyl-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane-2(R)-ethanol and 50 mg (0.49mmol) of acetic anhydride in 1 ml of pyridine was stirred at roomtemperature for 20 hours. Solvents were removed by evaporation to give80 mg of β(R)-benzyloxy-α(RS)-phenyl-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane-2(R)-ethyl acetate in the formof a colourless oil; MS: m/e 410 [M]⁺.

A solution of 80 mg of βB(R)-benzyloxy-α(RS)-phenyl-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane-2(R)-ethyl acetate in 3 ml of acetic acid washydrogenated over 10% palladium-on-carbon under a pressure of about 4.8atmospheres of hydrogen for 2 days. The catalyst was removed byfiltration and the liltrate was evaporated. The crude product wassubjected to flash chromatography on silica gel using 2% methanol indichloromethane for the elution. There were obtained 33 mg ofα(R)-benzyl-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane-2(R)-methanol in the form of acolourless oil; m/e 262 [M]⁺.

(v) A mixture of 65 mg (0.25 mmol) ofα(R)-benzyl-1,4-dioxaspiro]4,5]decane-2(R)-methanol, 65 mg (0.28 mmol)of triphenylphosphine and 80 mg (1.2 mmol) of sodium azide in 1 ml ofdimethylformamide was cooled to 0° C. and 83 mg (0.25 mmol) of carbontetrabromide were added. The mixture was stirred at room temperatureovernight. 0.5 ml of methanol was added and the mixture was stirred for15 minutes and then evaporated to dryness. The residue was partitionedbetween 10 ml of ethyl acetate and 10 ml of water, the organic phase wasseparated, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate and evaporated. Theresidue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel using 20%ethyl acetate in n-hexane for the elution. There were obtained 48 mg of2(S)-[1(S)-azido-2-phenylethyl]-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane as acolourless oil; MS (C.I.): m/e 260 [M+H-N₂ ]⁺.

(vi) A solution of 138 mg (0.48 mmol) of 2(S)-[1(S)-azido-2-phenylethyl]-1,4-dioxaspiro[4,5]decane in a mixture of 8 ml of aceticacid and 2 ml of water was stirred at 100° C. for 2 hours. The solventwas removed by evaporation and the residue was partitioned between 15 mlof ethyl acetate and 10 ml of saturated sodium bicarbonate solution. Theorganic phase was dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate and evaporatedto give 85 mg of a white solid. This was suspended in 5 ml of 10% ethylacetate in n-hexane, stirred for 15 minutes and filtered to give 34 mgof 3(S)-azido-4-phenyl-1,2(S)-butanediol in the form of a white solid ofmelting point 83°-84° C.

(vii) 1.05 g (5.5 mmol) of p-toluenesulphonyl chloride were added to asolution of 0.95 g (4.6 mmol) of 3(S)-azido-4-phenyl-1,2(S)-butanedioland 30 mg of 4-dimethylaminopyridine in a mixture of 30 ml ofdichloromethane and 5 ml of pyridine. The resulting solution was stirredat room temperature for 48 hours. The solvents were removed underreduced pressure and the oily residue was partitioned between water andethyl acetate. The aqueous phase was back-extracted twice with ethylacetate. The organic phases were combined, washed with 10% aqueoussulphuric acid and with sodium chloride solution, dried over anhydrousmagnesium sulphate and evaporated to dryness. Purification of the crudeproduct by flash chromatography on silica gel using n-hexane/ethylacetate (3:1) for the elution gave 1.37 g of 3(S)-azido-4-phenyl-1-(p-toluenesulphonyloxy)-2(S)-butanol in the form of a viscous oil:MS: m/e 362 [M+H]⁺.

(viii) A solution of 280 mg (5 mmol) of potassium hydroxide in 10 ml ofethanol were added to a solution of 1.37 g (3.8 mmol) of3(S)-azido-4-phenyl-1-(p-toluene -sulphonyloxy)-2(S)-butanol in 50 ml ofethanol and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour. Themixture was then evaporated to dryness and the residue was partitionedbetween water and dichloromethane. The aqueous phase was back-extractedtwice with dichloromethane. The organic phases were combined, dried overanhydrous magnesium sulphate and evaporated to give an oil which waspurified by flash chromatography on silica gel using n-hexane/ethylacetate (4:1) for the elution. There was obtained 0.47 g of2(S)-[1(S)-azido-2-phenylethyl]oxirane: MS: m/e 189 [M]⁺.

EXAMPLE 3

A solution of 237 mg (1 mmol) of N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide and 300 mg (1.1 mmol)of 4(S)-[1(S)-azido-2-phenylethyl]-1,3,2-dioxathiolane 2,2-dioxide in 10ml of tetrahydrofuran was stirred at room temperature under an argonatmosphere for 2 days, during which time some white solid depositsformed. The mixture was evaporated to give a white powder which wastaken up in a 10% solution of sulphuric acid in 70% aqueous methanol andheated under reflux for 30 minutes. After cooling to room temperaturethe solution was adjusted to pH 10 with 10% aqueous sodium hydroxidesolution and extracted three times with ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetateextracts were combined, washed with sodium chloride solution, dried overanhydrous magnesium sulphate and evaporated. Purification of the crudeproduct by flash chromatography on silica gel using n-hexane/ethylacetate (4:1) for the elution gave 57 mg of2-[3(S)-azido-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide; MS: me 428 [M+H]⁺.

The 4(S)-[1(S)-azido-2-phenylethyl]-1,3,2-dioxothiolane 2,2-dioxide usedas the starting material was prepared as follows:

175 μl (2.4 mmol) of thionyl chloride were added to a solution of 414 mg(2 mmol) of 3(S)-azido-4-phenyl -1,2(S)-butanediol [prepared asdescribed in Example 2(vi)] in 5 ml of carbon tetrachloride and themixture was heated under reflux for 30 minutes with calcium chloridedrying tube protection. The resulting solution was cooled in an icebath, 5 ml of acetonitrile, 5 mg of ruthenium-(III) chloride trihydrate,642 mg (3 mmol) of sodium metaperiodate and 7.5 ml of water were addedin succession and the mixture was stirred vigorously at room temperaturefor 1 hour. The mixture was treated with 20 ml of diethyl ether and 20ml of water, the phases were separated and the aqueous phase wasextracted twice with diethyl ether. The organic phases were combined andwashed with water, saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution andsodium chloride solution. After drying over anhydrous magnesiumsulphate, filtration through diatomaceous earth and evaporation of thefiltrate there were obtained 518 mg of4(S)-[1(S)-azido-2-phenylethyl]-1,3,2-dioxathiolane 2,2-dioxide; MS: m/e270 [M+H]⁺.

The following Example illustrates the manner in which the alcohols offormula I can be converted into amino acid derivatives of formula II:

EXAMPLE 4

(A)(i) A mixture of 25.6 g (48.3 mmol) of N-tert.butyl-decahydro-2-[2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenyl-3(S)-phthalimidobutyl]-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide(prepared as described in Example 1) and 3.74 ml (96.5 mmol) ofhydrazine hydrate in 145 ml of ethanol was stirred at room temperaturefor 4 hours. The mixture was evaporated to dryness under reducedpressure. The residue was dissolved in toluene and the solution wasevaporated, this procedure being repeated once. The residue was thendissolved in 2M acetic acid and the solution was stirred at roomtemperature for 1 hour. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate wasbasified by the addition of solid sodium carbonate and then extractedtwice with dichloromethane. The combined dichloromethane extracts werewashed with sodium chloride solution, filtered and evaporated to give abrown solid which was triturated with diethyl ether. There were thusobtained 12.93 g of 2-[3(S)-amino-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide as a white solid; MS: m/e 402 [M+H]⁺.

(A)(ii) A suspension of 26.55 g of N-tert.butyl-2-[2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenyl-3(S)-phthalimidobutyl]-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide(prepared as described in Example 1) in 100 ml of ethanol was treatedwith 25 ml of a 30% solution of methylamine in ethanol at roomtemperature for 1 hour. The mixture was evaporated to dryness underreduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in 250 ml of ethanol,treated with 250 ml of a saturated solution of hydrogen chloride inethyl acetate and stirred at room temperature for 16 hours. The mixturewas evaporated to dryness and the residue was partitioned between ethylacetate and water. The aqueous phase was separated, made basic withsolid sodium carbonate and then extracted with dichloromethane. Thedichloromethane extract was washed with sodium chloride solution andevaporated to dryness. The residue was triturated with diethyl etcherand, after filtration, there were obtained 17.48 g of2-[3(S)-amino-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide as a whitesolid; MS: m/e 402 [M+H]⁺.

(A)(iii) A solution of 17 mg (0.04 mmol) of 2-[3(S)-azido-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide (prepared as described inExample 2 or Example 3) in 5 ml of ethanol was hydrogenated at about 3.4atmospheres and at room temperature for 2 hours over 10 mg of 10%palladium-on-charcoal. The catalyst was filtered off and washed twicewith ethanol. The combined filtrate and washings were evaporated to give16 mg of2-[3(S)-amino-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-iso-quinoline-3(S)-carboxamide; MS: m/e 402 [M+H]⁺.

(B) A solution of 561 mg of2-[3(S)-amino-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamideand 372 mg of N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-asparagine in 20 ml of drytetrahydrofuran was cooled in an ice/salt mixture. 189 mg ofhydroxybenzotriazole, 161 mg of N-ethylmorpholine and 317 mg ofdicyclohexylcarbodiimide were added and the mixture was stirred for 16hours. The mixture was then diluted with ethyl acetate and filtered. Thefiltrate was washed with aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution and sodiumchloride solution. The solvent was removed by evaporation and theresidue was chromatographed on silica gel using dichloromethane/methanol(9:1) for the elution to give 434 mg of2-[3(S)-[[N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-asparaginyl]amino]-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide as a white solid frommethanol/diethyl ether; MS: m/e 650 [M+H]⁺.

EXAMPLE 5

A solution of 287 mg of N-(2-quinolylcarbonyl)-L-asparagine and 401 mgof2-[3(S)-amino-2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyl]-N-tert.butyl-decahydro-(4aS,8aS)- isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide in 3 ml of tetrahydrofuran wascooled to -10° C. and 163 mg of 3-hydroxy-1,2,3-benzotriazin-4(3H)-oneand 220 mg of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide were added. The mixture wasstirred at -10° C. for 2 hours and at 20° C. for 16 hours, then dilutedwith ethyl acetate and filtered. The liltrate was washed with saturatedsodium bicarbonate solution and saturated sodium chloride solution andthen evaporated. The residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 4%(by volume) methanol in dichloromethane for the elution to give 537 mgof N-tert.butyl-decahydro -2-[2(R)-hydroxy-4-phenyl-3(S)-[[N-(2-quinolylcarbonyl)-L-asparaginyl]amino]butyl]-(4aS,8aS)-isoquinoline-3(S)-carboxamide as awhite solid; MS: m/e 671 [M+H]⁺.

The N-(2-quinolylcarbonyl)-L-asparagine used as the starting materialwas prepared as follows:

A mixture of 540 mg of quinaldic acid succinimide ester and 300 mg ofL-asparagine monohydrate in 2 ml of dimethylformamide was stirred at 20°C. for 96 hours. The solvent was removed by evaporation to give a whitesolid residue which was stirred vigorously in 10 ml of dichloromethane,filtered off and washed with dichloromethane. There were thus obtained431 mg of N-(2-quinolylcarbonyl)-L-asparagine as a white solid; MS: m/e288[M+H]⁺.

We claim:
 1. A compound of formula ##STR17## wherein R^(a) representsphthalimido; R⁴ represents alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, aryl oraralkyl; R⁷ and R⁸ together represent a tetramethlyene group whichcarries a fused aromatic ring; and R⁹ represents alkoxycarbonyl,monoalkylcarbamoyl, monoaralkylcarbamoyl, monoarylcarbamoyl or a groupof the formula ##STR18## in which R¹⁰ and R¹¹ each represent alkyl. 2.The compound of claim 1 wherein R⁴ is aralkyl.
 3. The compound of claim1 wherein R⁴ is benzyl.
 4. The compound of claim 1 wherein R⁹ ismonoalkylcarbamoyl.
 5. The compound of claim 1 wherein R⁹ istert.butylcarbamoyl.